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Winterfest!

Ai-Kon 2018 Showings Descriptions

Listed in alphabetical order

A Place Further Than The Universe

Scenery that we have never seen. Sounds that we have never heard. A scent that we have never smelled. Food that we have never tasted. And the surge of emotion that we have never experienced. This is the expedition of recollecting the pieces torn apart and sensation left alone. When we reach that place, what will we think? Howling, 40-degree angle. Raging, 50-degree angle. Shouting, 60-degree angle. A wilderness beyond the heavy sea. The furthest south, far from civilization. At the top of the Earth. We will find lights through the girls’ eyes to live tomorrow.

Assassination Classroom The Movie: 365 Days’ Time

It’s been some time since Nagisa and Karma were a part of the assassination classroom. Like the rest of Class 3-E, they’ve grown and followed their own paths. But no matter how much time has passed, they’ll still remember their time with Koro Sensei and the lessons he taught them. Walking around their old classroom, the two former students reminisce about the time they spent in Class 3-E and the crazy events that went down. From the minute Koro Sensei first stepped into the classroom down to their final moments—this is a look back at the adventures of assassins in training!

Black Clover

Asta is a young boy who dreams of becoming the greatest mage in the kingdom. Only one problem-he can’t use any magic! Luckily for Asta, he receives the incredibly rare five-leaf clover grimoire that gives him the power of anti-magic. Can someone who can’t use magic really become the Wizard King? One thing’s for sure-Asta will never give up! Young Asta was born with no magic ability in a world where magic is everything. In order to prove his strength and keep a promise with his friend, Asta dreams of becoming the greatest mage in the land, the Wizard King!

Blame!

In BLAME! an “infection” in the past has caused automated systems to spiral out of order, resulting in a multi-leveled city structure that replicates itself infinitely in all directions. Now humanity has lost access to the city’s controls and is hunted down and purged by the defense system known as the Safeguard. In a tiny corner of the city, a little enclave known as the Electro-Fishers is facing eventual extinction, trapped between the threat of the Safeguard and dwindling food supplies. A girl named Zuru goes on a journey to find food for her village, only to inadvertently cause doom when an observation tower senses her and summons a Safeguard pack to eliminate the threat.

Citrus

Yuzuko Aihara, a high school girl whose main interests are fashion, friends, and having fun, is about to get a reality check. Due to her mom’s remarriage, Yuzu has transferred to a new all-girls school that is extremely strict. Her real education is about to begin.

From day one, happy-go-lucky Yuzu makes enemies, namely the beautiful yet stern Student Council President Mei. So what happens when a dejected Yuzu returns home and discovers the shock of her life: that Mei is actually her new stepsister who has come to live with her? Even more surprising, when Mei catches Yuzu off guard and kisses her out of the blue, what does it all mean?

Dances With The Dragons

Jushiki, a system for reproducing natural phenomena and paraphysical acts such as the creation of matter, allows humans to wield a power which they once feared as “magic.” Its mastery has brought advancements to all fields of life while facilitating the extermination of the once-rampant “Dragons” and “Others.” Gaius and Gigina, two combat-type jushiki wielders, run an office in a chaotic frontier town called Eridana, and make a living using their art to solve problems and collect bounties. One day, a dragon-hunting job falls into their laps. But it’s just the start of a plot far deeper…

Darling in the Franxx

The distant future: Humanity established the mobile fort city, Plantation, upon the ruined wasteland. Within the city were pilot quarters, Mistilteinn, otherwise known as the “Birdcage.” That is where the children live… Their only mission in life was the fight. Their enemies are the mysterious giant organisms known as Kyoryu. The children operate robots known as FRANXX in order to face these still unseen enemies. Among them was a boy who was once called a child prodigy: Code number 016, Hiro. One day, a mysterious girl called Zero Two appears in front of Hiro. “I’ve found you, my Darling.”

Eleven Arts Special ScreeningAi-Kon is proud to partner with Eleven Arts for an exclusive movie screening of Haikara-san: Here Comes Miss Modern!

Thanks to Eleven Arts, we will be screening Haikara-san: Here Comes Miss Modern at this year’s Ai-Kon. During the Taisho era of 1918, 17-year-old Benio Hanamura thrives on bucking tradition. As a boisterous and quarrelsome tomboy, Miss Hanamura leads a life of kendo and tree-climbing adventure with her best friends Tamaki and Ranmaru. Benio determines to find love on her own, though her family has other plans. Benio will encounter tests of love, independence, and friendship during wartime.

Evangelion Movie Marathon

Like your giant robots with a large dose of teenage angst? Ai-Kon is bringing you all three Evangelion movies!

Tokyo-3 still stands after most of civilization was decimated in the Second Impact. Now the city endures the ceaseless onslaught of the deadly Angels, bizarre creatures bent on eradicating the human race. To combat this strange and ruthless enemy, the government agency NERV constructs a fleet of towering humanoid machines – the Evas – and Shinji Ikari is called into action, reluctantly taking his place at the controls of Eva Unit 01. Living a life of loneliness and questioning his existence, Shinji struggles to accept responsibility for mankind’s battle for survival. Shinji will fight the Angels alongside the only person who might understand his plight: Rei Ayanami, the elusive and frail pilot of Eva Unit 00. Shinji and Rei will struggle to learn a simple truth: when carrying the burden of humanity’s survival on your shoulders, you are not alone.

Fist of the North Star: The Movie

In the near future, Earth has been devastated by a nuclear hell. In these troubled times, kinetic martial arts have replaced weapons of mass destruction, and the legendary Fist of the North Star style may then be the only hope for humanity’s survival.

Ken, the rightful master of Fist of the North Star, is forced to fight old friends gone mad, wicked new enemies, and even comes face to face with his power-hungry elder brothers. All this in the hope that he will someday be reunited with his beloved Julia.

Friday Night Horror: As The Gods Will

Friday Night Horror returns! Check out Takashi Miike’s As The Gods Will, based on the hit manga.

High school student Shun Takahata is bored. Bored with the day-to-day monotony of school and life, he prays for change, for something exciting. The last thing he expects is for the gods to answer. Suddenly, he and his classmates are forced to play deadly children’s games and facing terrifying creatures from a talking Daruma doll to a sharp-clawed lucky cat. Who will survive the gods’ games?

GoShogun: The Time Étranger

Remy Shimada, ex-pilot of the GoShogun, suffers a terrible accident while on her way to a meeting with her former robot-piloting comrades. While they rush to the hospital, Remy floats between life and death. She sees visions of her life when she was young, and stranger still, experiences a hallucination of being with her friends, all of them young again, in a mysterious city filled with hostile fanatics.

Far from being the reunion, Remy hoped for, a ghastly letter arrives for each member of the team that predicts their gruesome deaths. Slated to die in two days, both in reality and in her dream, Remy struggles to find a way out of the City of Fate, relying on the memories of her friends to see her through, even as they surround her deathbed in the waking world.

Hunter x Hunter The Movie: Phantom Rouge

Someone has stolen Kurapika’s eyes—and according to him, it was another survivor from his clan who were massacred for their Scarlet Eyes! Gon and Killua begin investigating on his behalf, but shortly after they’ve begun, the Phantom Troupe appears!

Kizumonogatari Marathon

Ai-Kon brings you another movie marathon. Check out all three Kizumonogatari movies on Friday!

Sometime before the events of Bakemonogatari, when Araragi is still just a normal high school student, he runs into a strange woman out on the streets. The woman is badly injured, and begs Araragi to save her; faced with a being who seems both less and more than human, Araragi finds himself paralyzed by fear. With blood splattering the walls and fear in his heart, Araragi must make a choice that will change everything for him, for his town, for the world at large. There is danger and violence in this story and little hope of a happy ending.

Laid-Back Camp

Nadeshiko, a high school student who had moved from Shizuoka to Yamanashi, decides to see the famous, 1000 yen-bill-featured Mount Fuji. Even though she manages to bike all the way to Motosu, she’s forced to turn back because of worsening weather. Unable to set her eyes on her goal, she faints partway to her destination. When she wakes up, it’s night, in a place she’s never been before, with no way of knowing how to get home. Nadeshiko is saved when she encounters Rin, a girl who is out camping by herself. This outdoorsy girls story begins with this first encounter between Nadeshiko and Rin.

Lu Over the Wall

Lu Over the Wall brings humans and merfolk together with surprising outcomes. Kai lives in a small fishing town with his superstitious grandfather. The old man warns him of the dangers of the merfolk, who he believes will cause them harm. When confronted by bullies, Kai is helped by Lu, a fun-loving mermaid who loves music but is vulnerable to sunlight. With a local seafood company posing a threat to the town and a number of its inhabitants hostile towards the merpeople, Lu, Kai, and his friends must club together to ensure both communities survive. This funky, upbeat tale is full of energy and features cute merdogs, musical mermaids and a giant humanoid shark.

Love and Lies

It’s an old story: Boy loves girl. Girl admits her love for Boy. And then the government says, “No, you have to marry THIS other girl instead.” Because, in the world where high school student Yukari Nejima lives, the government decides who you marry and the feelings of the parties involved don’t matter.

Mary and the Witch’s Flower

Mary is an ordinary young girl stuck in the country with her Great-Aunt Charlotte and seemingly no adventures or friends in sight. She follows a mysterious cat into the nearby forest, where she discovers an old broomstick and the strange Fly-by-Night flower, a rare plant that blossoms only once every seven years and only in that forest. Together the flower and the broomstick whisk Mary above the clouds, and far away to Endor College – a school of magic run by headmistress Madam Mumblechook and the brilliant Doctor Dee. But there are terrible things happening at the school, and when Mary tells a lie, she must risk her life to try to set things right.

MEGALOBOX

A desolate land stretches out from the city of poverty. A motorcycle speeds recklessly, blowing clouds of sand and dust. The rider is the protagonist of this story – he has neither a name nor a past. All he has is his ring name, “Junk Dog” and a technique for rigging MEGALOBOX matches with his pal Gansaku Nanbu, which they use to support their hand-to-mouth lives. JD is bored, resigned, and unfulfilled. Yuri has been the reigning champion of MEGALOBOX for the past few years. He has the skills and presence of a true champion. This is a story of JD and his rival, Yuri.

New Anime Summer Showcase

Wanna stay caught up on the latest from Japan? Watch the most recent anime coming out and stay ahead of the crowds!

Ranma ½: Big Trouble in Nekonron, China

When Prince Kirin of the 7 Lucky Gods shows up at the Tendo dojo looking for his bride-to-be, guess who’s accidentally holding the scroll that signifies his future mate? Why, Akane, of course, and the rest of the Ranma crew is forced to take a boat to China in order to save her from the horrors of marriage and a diet of pickled vegetables.

Saturday Morning Cartoons

Returning again, Saturday Morning Cartoons brings you a dose of Nostalgia. Check out classic cartoons, retro commercials, and, of course, a heaping helping of Canadian PSAs. Bring your pajamas and cereal for a look back at what made your mornings great.

Robot Carnival

Robot Carnival is an anthology collection of nine short films, many done by animators before they got their feet wet in directing. From funny to dramatic, artistic to entertaining, each story reaches towards the furthest corners of time and space to bring you a tale of robots, and the people who make them. Whether you have a love for great hand-drawn animation, an appreciation for fine storytelling, or just like robots, this anthology a visual treat for the eyes as well as the mind!

Sailor Moon SuperS

A majestic pegasus with a golden horn has appeared in Chibi-Usa’s dreams with a request—to help him and keep his presence a secret. This plea turns out to be more than a childish dream, for the fearsome Dead Moon Circus led by the villainous Zirconia arrive in town to draw out Pegasus by targeting people with beautiful dreams! Sailor Moon and the Guardians must unite to fight a new enemy and her deadly henchmen, the Amazon Trio. But without the power to transform into Super Sailor Moon, the Guardians find themselves seriously outmatched! Will Sailor Chibi Moon’s strong desire to protect everyone’s be the key to accessing Pegasus’s power?

The Ancient Magus’ Bride

Her name is Chise Hatori, a penniless orphan troubled by visions. Sold as a slave to an inhuman mage, she is about to begin a strange new life, filled with magic, fairies, and other beings of a fantastical nature.

The Irregular at Magic Academy The Movie: The Girl Who Calls the Stars

Many months have passed since the Yokohama Disturbance and the massive battle that ensued. Now, the spring season is almost upon them. Tatsuya, the “irregular” elder brother, and Miyuki, his brilliant younger sister, realize that their first year at Magic High School is about to end. The siblings and their friends decide to spend spring break relaxing at a private villa on Ogasawara Island. Tatsuya and the others make the most of their brief vacation until a young girl named Kokoa appears before them. The mysterious young girl who escaped from a naval base tells Tatsuya her one wish.

Umamusume: Pretty Derby

This is a tale of a world where “horse girls”; with glorious names and incredible running abilities live alongside humanity. Horse girl Special Week has moved from the country to the city to attend Tracen Academy. There, she and her classmates compete to win the Twinkle Series and earn the title of “The County’s #1 Horse Girl.”

Urusei Yatsura: Beautiful Dreamer

Tomobiki High is in a frenzy to get ready for the school festival. Props need to be made, costumes designed, and maybe somewhere sleep to be had! Ataru, Lum, Shutaro, Shinobu, and the rest of Class 2-4 are determined to not be outdone this year, and they’re rushing to make the final preparations for tomorrow’s grand opening.

Once they wake up the next morning, they continue their mad rush to get ready for tomorrow’s grand opening. And then the next day… hey, isn’t something strange going on? Silence lingers over the city, the buildings filled with nothing but dust and mold. Is this a dream? Or have the kids (and a few related adults) of Class 2-4 finally woken up? If they can spend each day having fun with each other, does it matter? From the director of Ghost in the Shell!